handmade valentines

I've been working on handmade valentines for the kids classes this year. I contemplated hand drawing a set, and actually started, but lost interest after about 2 hours sketching in front of the TV. I have 2 hand drawn images out of the 4 proposed on my '4-up' layout paper. A cozy heart wrapped in winter wear, and a pretty sad looking robot blasting off to the moon. **SIGH**
You know, I'm actually a pretty damned skilled freehand artist when i'm inspired. Or at least remotely interested. But I've been so facinated with illustration techniques using adobe Illustrator lately and can't seem to shake the obsession.
during my upbriging and My current life, I have chased down the illusive knowledge of current fad/obsession/interest until I've beaten it with every weapon in my arsenal, wooden spoons and occasional projectile shooting cannon included, until I've mastered said knowledge to my satisfaction. Then, and only then,the frenzied grip of creativity will loosen and let me be adrift in complete boredom once more.
So it is that I've been spending almost all my free thinking time wondering how to do this or that in the program, experimenting and trying new things.
Working in the advertising industry, I realize that i don't have to create every single element in my ads by hand. I simply do not have that kind of time. So, we purchase a annual contract from a design house called metro creative graphics. I then search and download bits and pieces of art, cut them to ribbons and use just select items and incorporate that little bit into a new piece of art or advertisement that is relevant to the project I'm getting 'paid' to work on for this 20 minutes or hour.

(side note to designers not working at a newspaper: you are so lucky to have the luxury of time. I have created 20-30 ads a day, along with layout of a complete project in 24 hours, prep, proof and onto film within a single day. I just shake my head at designers that have such a luxury as time. I wonder what drives them to finish a project rather than re-work it endlessly?)

after I have hacked a bit of art out of it's original illustration I can then use it in the adertising piece that I'm currently working on. Take the EWE for example. That innocent sheep was once part of a nativity scene, marketed for christmas cards everywhere, but using the power of advertising, and that handy paid contract, I've cut here right out and made that sheep a valentine instead.
Common sense, and very efficient.


Above is a sample of a computer generated illustration for the valentine's cards I'm going to print onto the very best cardstock that wal-mart will sell me. I will have the boys trim them out and stuff them into homemade envelopes so they too can feel the obsession of creativity, even if it's driven by me.